The Touch of the Sun God
by The Archer of the Sun
Summary: A story of my original character Rosalie Johnson, the Half-Blood daughter of Hermes, and her difficult, awkward , but overall sweet relationship with the God of the Sun, Apollo. Through a series of events the half-blood girl meets the sun god and cant help the overwhelming attraction she feels towards him, and for Apollo the feeling is mutual.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series, im just a fan writing a fic.

Ok so first a little background on me. I never wanted to be a Half-blood, it just kinda happened. I guess it all started when I was born, my mother had passed away shortly after my birth, and since I had no other family to take care of me I was sent away to a place that would make even the Underworld seem nice… Sunset Hills Orphanage. Was I an orphan you ask? Well I'm getting to that. Truth is I never knew my father, no one did actually. The ladies who worked at Sunset Hills told me all they knew was that my mother died and I was left alone. Strangely no one seemed to think anything of me not having a father or even about where he might be. Anyway, after living in that awful place for 17 years knowing no one would want a troubled teen like me, something happened. This weird kid named Collin Underwood who had been at Sunset Hills since last summer came up to me during breakfast with an intense look of seriousness on his face. Now Collin was not the type of kid you would consider "cool". He was a short skinny boy with thick super curly brown hair which was also hidden under a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball cap. He always wore the same baggy pants and oversized high tops which usually got him teased by the other boys. I'm guessing he was around 14 or 15 because even though he looked so young, he has the start of a thin goatee growing on his chin. But overall the feature on Collin that stood out the most was his limp, apparently caused by some sort of birth defect. Anyway Collin walked up to me and stared me straight in the face.

"You're Rosalie Johnson, Right?" I winced when he said my name, I hated it. I mean Rosalie? Really? Its way to girly for me.

"It's Rose" I snapped back, a little harsher than I intended to, but he just kept his straight face and replied.

"Ok, well Rosal…..Rose, there is A LOT to cover and not much time so I hate to just throw this all on you at once, but we have to go!"

I stared at him like he was crazy, I mean this kid has never spoken a single word to me and now he's telling me we have to go? Just get up and leave? I mean I hate this place as much as the next sensible teen but seriously!

"What are you talking about?" I said, hopelessly confused.

"I'm saying that you and I have to leave right now!" He said as he nervously looked around in every direction possible. "No time to explain but grab your stuff and let's go!" I wanted to just sit there and laugh at him, but something in his voice told me he wasn't joking, and trust me I can tell when someone's joking.

"Ok fine, where to?" I blurted out without realizing what I was getting myself into. I figured I had nothing to lose and I don't know why, but oddly I felt like I could trust Collin. His expression went from a mix of serious and horrified, to one of slight pleasure.

"Why Camp Half-Blood of course!" He said with a smirk, and that's when the really adventure began.

* * *

To be nice I'm going to save you the long boring story of how I got to Half-Blood Hill. Let's just say it was a trip full of monsters, Satyrs, and a lot of reality. Basically by the time we arrived I learned that I was a Half-Blood, half mortal and half Greek god. I discovered that Collins limp wasn't a birth defect it's actually because instead of feet, Collin had two shiny little hooves and furry goat legs. Yes, my new best friend was a Satyr. (Well mostly a satyr, he was part tree nymph. He said he got it from his grandma Juniper). I took it all in and realized it made a lot of sense to me. The thing that bothered me the most though is that if I really was a Half-Blood, Then who was my father? I asked Collin this and he said he didn't know, now one knew actually, he said I had to be "claimed" by my Olympian parent in order to know, I didn't exactly know what that meant but I was really hoping my dad did. Collin also explained that the reason no one found anything strange about me no having a father in the beginning was because of something called mist, a magical shield that alters what mortals can see and know. I learned all this…and I haven't even made it to camp yet.

As soon as I crossed the magical border into camp I stood open mouthed at what I saw. A gorgeous land scape dotted with some of the most beautiful Greek architecture I've ever seen (more like the only Greek architecture I've ever seen but still). There were fields of strawberries which bloomed beautifully in the summer sun. Kids and satyrs were running around playing what looked like a game of tag. I could have stood there forever watching over this paradise but Collin grabbed my arm.

"Come on! Let me go introduce you to Chiron!" He said with a slightly relieved smile and together we ran down to the big blue farmhouse sitting on the edge of camp. As we walked through the door I saw a sight I wasn't quite prepared for. Standing in front of me was a middle aged man with thinning brown hair and a beard, but where his legs should be….was the body of a large white stallion.

"Hello dear child" the horse-man smiled kindly "I'm Chiron, the activities director of this camp. I hope your trip wasn't too rough" he said in a voice that soundly truly interested. I really hope I didn't sound as stupid as I thought because the first words I managed to slip out were,

"Uh…You're a horse…" Chiron looked hurt and slightly disappointed.

"My dear child, I am a _Centaur_ not a horse" he told me with a slight smile of understanding, I wasn't the first kid who had been pulled out of their normal human life and tossed into a world where all the myths you studied in school were real and half the people you met wanted to kill you.

_Oh a Centaur, _I thought, _well that explains it_. Chiron led me outside and said he was going to give me a tour of the place. When we got on the porch of the Big House Chiron stopped and looked at me, with a smile he said.

"Welcome to Camp Half-Blood Rosalie Johnson."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The rest of the day went by pretty fast, Chiron showed me all there is to see at Camp Half-Blood. We stopped by the archery range where a couple of kids were shooting arrows with ease, we passed the climbing wall and I was shocked to see streams of lava shooting up in spouts at the campers who were hanging on for dear life, he showed me the lake and I'm not sure if it was just me but I swear I saw some girls waving at me from underwater. After he was sure I knew every inch of the camp he took me to the cabins to get me settled in. Now the cabins were some of the most interesting buildings I've ever seen, all of them different in their own way. They all had bronze numbers hanging above their doors, the buildings were numbered one through twelve. I couldn't help but study each individual cabin. Cabin 1 and Cabin 2 were giant marble mausoleum type buildings, Chiron told me these were Zeus and Hera's Cabins, both empty for they swore to never have a child with a mortal again, I heard from Collin about how his grandpa traveled with a daughter of Zeus and son of Poseidon before, the story ended well but the 3 major gods still kept their promise to not have more children, just in case. Cabin 6, Athena's Cabin, had a simple grey paint job with white curtains the only ornamental thing on the building was a small owl above the door. The Ares Cabin, Cabin 5 was the grossest shade of red and had the head of a boar above the door, I was thoroughly disgusted. I took my time gazing around at each cabin when my eyes feel on Cabin 7, but my eyes didn't stay there long for the whole building was glowing so brightly I think my eyes might have melted if I looked any longer. But of the glimpse I managed to catch I realized that the whole building was made from solid gold, the whole building seemed to be reflecting the light of the afternoon sun, I wanted to take in it beauty, to absorb the light, there was something about this cabin that just made me smile….but that's weird cause it's just a building right?

"Hey Chiron, whose cabin is that?" I asked as I pointed at the glowing Cabin 7. Chiron looked to see where I was pointing but looked away just as quickly looked away, I guess it burned his eyes as much as mine.

"Oh, That's Apollo's Cabin, The god of the sun."

"Apollo" I repeated quietly

"His children are easy to determine" Chiron informed me "Only they can look at his cabin in broad daylight without trouble."

"Oh" I said "So I guess Apollo's not my dad huh?"

"Im afraid not young one, we will still have to wait until you are claimed to be sure. But for now you will be staying in Cabin 11, The Hermes cabin, where all the unclaimed demi-gods stay. Come child let us get you settled."

I nodded and followed him to Cabin 11, the whole time thinking about what he just said. I guess I was a little disappointed that Apollo hadn't been my father because now I had even less of an idea of who it was, but mostly I was relieved he wasn't my dad, because for some reason I felt like it would be seriously wrong if he was. I mean it's not like I've met the guy before but I just knew…I got this feeling…he was something more than just another one of the gods, he was something more…to me.

Chiron lead me up to the door of Cabin 11, it looked old with peeling brown paint and wooden panels that could really use some fixing. What stood out to me was the symbol hanging above the door, a simple caduceus. He gently knocked on the door and no sooner did he take is hand away than a little girls face appeared behind the now open door.

"Chiron!" She squealed with a look of pure delight on her face.

"Hello Claire" Chiron addressed the little girl who was now standing in fully open door way of the Hermes cabin. "Is Ella here?" he asked Claire sweetly and she ran off to find her cabin mate. Not long after an older girl walked up to the door and smiled sweetly.

"Hello Chiron" she glanced at me and gave me a look of understanding, like she been in my place before, she turned back to Chiron "Claimed?" I noticed that this girl was about the same age or a little older than I was. She had long blond hair with bright blue eyes both the same color as mine. The scary thing though is that she had the same elfin features on her face that I did and the same mischievous smile that always got me in trouble with the adults. It had to be a coincidence…..right?

"Unclaimed" Chiron responded, but for the first time I thought I heard hesitation in his voice. He looked from me to Ella at least a half dozen times before he left leaving me in the capable hands of my new cabin counselor.

"Hi Im Ella! Daughter of Hermes, I hope you feel right at home here!" She grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me inside. As I followed my look alike into Cabin 11 I stopped dead in my tracks. Atleast 20 kids aging from 6 to 19 were running around making as much noise as possible. I remembered what Chiron said, Cabin 11 hosts the demi-gods that haven't been claimed yet, I looked around at some of the miserable faces of kids who would never be claimed,_ I couldn't end up like them, I need to be claimed _I thought silently to myself. As I looked around more I noticed that atleast a half dozen of the children all looked similar, _siblings, _I thought, but it hit me that they looked a lot like Ella the daughter of Hermes, and she looks like me soo…_ Oh my gods! _I wanted to saying something but suddenly all the eyes in the room were on me, no… they weren't looking at me, they were looking above my head.

"Its just another one" a boy in the corner sighed

"Now be nice!" Ella scolded, she turned to me and said with a grin "Welcome home sis" I stood there shocked and looked up, fading away was the shape of a small staff wrapped with two snakes, the caduceus. I was a daughter of Hermes.

* * *

After I was claimed life at camp went pretty smoothly. Chiron said he wasn't surprised I was the daughter of Hermes when he caught me trying to pick pocket his saddle bag (sorry Chiron!) The months flew past and I felt like I was in heaven! Every night at dinner I would give my offering to my father and all day I would train with my brothers and sisters. For a girl who had nothing, this was a major step up. Near the end of Summer most of the Hermes cabin left to go home for the year but a few of the year rounder's (which now included me) stayed. Snow started falling lightly on the campgrounds as winter drew nearer. I was just about to go to the sword arena to practice when Chiron called a meeting in the amphitheater. When the few campers currently here filed in Chiron cleared his throat.

"As you all know, the winter solstice is coming up and that is when the gods have their annual winter council meeting, we are invited each year to visit Mount Olympus on this day for a celebration afterwards. A sort a field trip I guess."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I would be able to go to Mount Olympus! I would be able to meet my dad! I would be able to meet…. His name still burned in my head like the sun itself…. I stopped and a cross between a look of pure joy and one of panic played on my face as thought to myself…. _I was going to meet Apollo._

_(sorry if it seems alittle slow! trust me im getting to the good parts! Hope you like it and thanks for reading!)_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was finally here, the winter solstice, the day when I met the gods. It started out pretty normal, in the morning my half-sister Ella lead the Hermes cabin down to the Dining Pavilion for breakfast. I gave almost all of my food in the name of Hermes that morning, I mean I wasn't going to eat it anyway, I was way too nervous. Ella seemed to know exactly what I was thinking because she just smiled a said "It will be a lot of fun! Trust me!" I believed her, I mean this is like her 7th time going to Olympus since she arrived at Camp Half-Blood. After breakfast we all climbed into the camp van (which had been enchanted to be larger on the inside) and headed at top speed to Manhattan with the head of security Argus at the wheel.

After what seemed like forever we pulled up in front of the Empire State Building. I had never been to New York and the sight of this famous building just got me even more excited. I tried to stay calm as we all strode through the lobby and into the elevator. I watch Chiron pull out a key card of some sort and inserted it into a panel on the wall, suddenly the number on the overhead screen turned to 600 and the elevator slowly started to head up to the top floor, Mount Olympus.

When the doors opened I had to catch my breath, I didn't know if I was dreaming, but the crowd of people behind my pushing to get out of the elevator told me that I wasn't. All around me were gorgeous Greek style marble buildings shining in the late morning sun the buildings looked so new but I knew that they had to be thousands of years old. Minor gods and goddesses were running about gossiping about all the gods that were getting ready for the meeting. Dryads, Nymphs, and Satyrs were bustling about getting the last minute preparation ready for the after party, and from what Ella told me, these parties can get pretty crazy!

Chiron called us all together to make a few announcements about the plan for today. The meeting was going to start soon, so he told us we could run around and check out the vendors during it, he handed us all a few golden drachmas in spending money. Before he let us go he told us that when the meeting was over we were going to go to the Throne Room and meet all the gods and goddesses. The thought of being in a room with all those powerful beings sent a shiver down my spine.

When all the rest of my demi-god friends ran off to see all the shops, I made my way over to the nearest marble bench. Being here was surreal, I mean, less than a year ago I was an orphan with nothing to look forward to in life. I sat back and sighed, out of habit my eyes darted to the sky, it was just the same as it was back in New York , but it was prettier…much prettier. Eyes closed, I stretched my neck as far as it would go and felt a warm breeze on my face. I opened my eyes and stared at the sun,(which had gotten much easier over time), I knew how it got there and just the thought of it made me have to smile. I thought back to the times at camp where I would sneak out in the morning when it was still dark and wait for the sun to come out, knowing that every time the sun moved across the sky, the Sun god was in his chariot guiding it along. I never lost that feeling I felt on my first day that Apollo was going to be an important person in my life, I didn't know who or what or why but ever since I stared in the sun on my first day of camp, I knew…Apollo was going someone big in my life….I just didn't know who yet.

* * *

"Rose!" a voice called my name from across the shining street. My half-sister Ella had brought me back to my senses and told me now that Chiron was summoning us, the meeting was over.

"Hey…Ella?" I timidly asked

"Yea Rose? What is it? Are you excited to meet dad!?" she was enthusiastic as she spoke, I'm guessing she was trying to make me less nervous.

"Well that's kinda the problem, I'm scared Ella!" I confessed "For 17 years I've gone on thinking that I had no parents, then out of the blue I find out I have a dad…..And he's a GOD!" I hid my face behind my long bleach blonde hair and probably would have started crying if it weren't for Ella. She placed her long thin hand on my shoulder and smiled. I don't know how she does it, but with Ella, all it takes is just one look and you will instantly feel better. I gave her a hug and figured that she had probably felt the same way the first time she met dad.

We entered the Throne Room and I had to catch by breath. This room alone made Buckingham Palace look like a rip off. Twelve assorted thrones were place in a U shape around the room. They were each at least 20 feet tall each and at the moment, they were all occupied. The gods were as tall as two basketball players put together just right for their giant thrones. I looked around nervously at each god and goddess hoping I could figure out who was who, and then I saw him. He was 15 feet tall and wearing a plain white chiton with a brown belt around his waist, he had on his symbolic winged sandals and his hat over his wavy salt and pepper hair, his eyes were a bright shade of blue exactly like mine, I know this because he was staring straight at me. I looked around quick to find that all the other gods were simply chatting with their demi-god sons and daughters like this was an everyday thing. I quickly looked back at Hermes who still hadn't taken his eyes off me. I knew I had to say something, so I closed my eyes and thought, _here it goes._

"He- Hello Father" I managed to squeak out. His face went from one of curiosity to one of kindness. He smiled at me, his elfin features adding a look of mischief to what I knew was a smile of genuine happiness.

"Hello my dear Rosalie, I'm really glad I get to finally meet you." For once when someone said my full name I didn't cringe, when he said it, it sounded right. We talked for what seemed like a long time about different things, camp, Sunset Hills (which he seemed truly sorry I had to stay in a place like that), the messaging business, and so many other things that I have missed out on in these 17 years. I realized that I had been talking to him this whole time and not given my siblings a chance but they all reassured me that they had already met him and it was my turn. Eventually Hermes got a call on his caduceus cellphone and said he had to go take care of some important business. He gave me one last parting smile then vanished in a flutter of white feathers. I stared at the stop where my father had just been and smiled. I turned around to find Ella motioning me towards her. Once I caught up with her I asked her "Ok so what now?" She gave me our famous mischievous smile.

"Two words… After Party!"

~Hi! hope you like it so far! don't worry it will get better! Next chapter is full of Apollo! Thanks and don't forget to add a review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

If you've never been to a party on Mount Olympus, then you have no idea what you're missing! Take the rowdiest collage party you know and multiply it by 100, then you might get an idea of just how crazy it was. There were minor gods flying everywhere throwing around whatever they could find, satyrs and nymph where walking around holding trays full of ambrosia and glasses of nectar, the music was blasting so loud that it's amazing no one on earth heard it, there was even this weird cow serpent thing dancing in a floating orb of water. In the midst of it all was me, and for the first party I've ever been to, I think it was going pretty good.

I made my way along the streets of Olympus, dodging hyper active dancers and what looked like water balloons that seemed to appear out of thin air. As I walked I ran into a couple of the gods and goddesses who were now all down to normal size. First was Athena, the goddesses strode up to me, her grey eyes never leaving my face. At first I was afraid she was going to yell at me or something but when she reached me she simply looked me over quizzically.

"So you are the newly claimed Daughter of Hermes?" she asked. Besides my father she is the first god/goddesses I've actually spoken to.

"Yea I guess so." I said with a slight chuckle, Athena did not seem amused.

"One should never guess." She me a look that gave me the feeling I didn't make a great first impression, "One shall always be certain of their words before they speak." _Ugh, I forgot she was the goddesses of wisdom, _I thought to myself. I was already bored and I haven't even been talking to her for a full 3 minutes!

"Yes ma'am… goddesses." I said hoping that this conversation would end. And thankfully she was called over by someone else.

"I will be seeing you again child of Hermes." And with that she walked away.

After my little chat with Athena some of the other gods found me and wanted to talk. I talked with Hephaestus for a little but I'm not really sure if he was listening to me or just trying to figure out how I worked. Every so often he would answer with a "yea" or "hmm" as he studied my every move. Then Poseidon started telling me something about water and fish, but the whole time he held his great three point trident close to his body and eyed me wearily, I'm guessing he thinks I was going to steal it being the daughter of the god of thieves. The next goddesses who came up to me was stunning. She had long curly brown hair and sparkling teal eyes, both of which were a different color when I saw her in the throne room. Her make-up was done perfectly and, even though I never thought of my appearance, I was a little jealous.

"Well hello there" the love goddesses smiled at me

"Lady Aphrodite" I said "Hello." She looked me up and down frowning from time to time, she finally met my eyes and smiled.

"So you're my brother's daughter?" she said curiously "What's your name dear?"

"Um… It's Rose" I answered quietly feeling a little intimidated by her stare. She looked at me and her eyes went wide.

"…..Rose? That-is-sooooo-CUTE!" She squealed loudly and grabbed me into a hug. Others looked over to see what the noise was but went they saw Aphrodite they just looked away like she did this all the time. "Oh my gods! Your my new best friend! Hey whenever you need someone to talk to or your having some….love trouble," she gave me a wink "Just remember your auntie Aphrodite is here for you girl!"

"Oh…Um, Thank you I'll remember that." I responded politely, and with that she glided away to go smother the next party guest.

I was sure that I talked to almost everyone at the party when I suddenly remembered…._Oh my gods! _I was so focused on my dad I totally forgot the other reason I wanted to come! A sharp realization hit me, he was there in the throne room but I only looked at my dad! Oh gods! His throne was right next to my dad's, how didn't I see him?! I frantically looked around, I realized I had no idea what he looked like, but I kept looking! I had to find him! Then there was warmth, pure comforting warmth spreading through my body. There was a hand on my shoulder and for some reason it was emitting outstanding heat.

"It's Rose right?" a voice came from behind me. I turned around to see the owner of this voice smiling at me waiting for an answer. "Hey, I'm Apollo."

I stood there staring at the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He looked to be about 17, my age, but I knew he was much…much older. His eyes were a startling electric blue, hiding behind his shaggy golden surfer hair which had to be at least a shade brighter than the sun itself. His skin was glowing…I mean it was literally glowing. A golden glow was reflecting off of his perfect even tan. He was gorgeous, oh my gods he was gorgeous! He made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy, if he hadn't just said my name I'm pretty sure I would have forgotten it. He was still watching my waiting for a response, I must have been blushing furiously because he had a slight grin tugging at his perfect lips. I knew I had to say something, but what? I finally managed to choke out a few words.

"Uh…Um…Hi.." I said stupidly immediately looking down at my feet. Apollo laughed lightheartedly and gave me a smile.

"So your Hermes girl, huh?" he said, never looking away from me. His look was painful yet beautiful at the same eyes, even if I wasn't looking at him I knew he was softly gazing at my face.

"Oh, Um…Yea I am." I stuttered, this time turning to meet his gaze.

"Cool" he said with a smirk "Your dads a pretty cool guy, I mean when he's not trying to steal my things!" he said with a laugh, but he then slipped his hand in his pocket, probably making sure his keys were still there or something. He looked up into the sky and his face turned to a look I swear was disappointment. "It's time for me to start heading out," he sighed "But hey, I have a feeling we will see each other again really soon."

"You do?" I said blushing even harder.

"Well I am the god of prophecy" He laughed. As he turned to leave he stopped and looked me straight in the eye.

"_See the setting sun_

_Even though it's beautiful_

_You are more so Rose"_

"Huh?" I asked thoroughly confused

"It's a Haiku, I'm also the god of poetry" he replied simply

"Oh…but what does that mean?" I questioned. The sun god let a small chuckle pass his lips and form into a mischievous grin that would put even Hermes to shame. He came in extremely close so his nose was nearly touching mine, which made my heart leap out of my chest. I could feel the heat of his breath on my face when he whispered,

"It means I think you're pretty." And leaving me with that he turned and dissolved into a shimmer of golden light, but not before he gave me a playful wink.

_Oh my gods_, I thought to myself, I know why I loved watching the sun so much now, I know why I felt like I had some sort of connection with him, like he was going to be someone big in my life, because he was. I stood there not moving, trying to convince myself I was wrong, to talk myself out of it. But there was no denying it…..

I was in love with the Sun god.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I laid there staring at the celling of an Olympus motel (yea, they have those) for what seemed like hours. Fortunately the number of campers balanced out in my favor and I ended up having my own room so I had more space to think. What was going on with me? I have never even liked a guy before and now I'm falling hard for one…AND HE'S A GOD! He was a virus stuck in my brain that I couldn't stop thinking about, a beautiful sweet kind of virus that made me smile. Ugh! I turned over and screamed into my pillow hoping no one else could hear.

"Rose!" called a voice that nearly made me jump out of bed.

"Collin?" I looked across the room to see the shimmering image of my best friend standing in the Big House.

"Hey!" he said with slight concern in his voice "Is everything ok? I called to see how you were liking Olympus, but it looks like something's bothering you." He said frowning. I blushed out of embarrassment because I realized he'd just seen me scream in my pillow.

"How much did you see?" I mumbled

"Enough for me to want to get your pillow earplugs." He admitted "So what's bugging you?" he asked so nicely it made me feel bad. _He cared about me so much, we have been through a lot together I should be able to tell him this,_ I thought to myself._ But I cant. No I should. How would he take it? He'd be fine. He'd hate me. Tell him. Don't tell him. YES! NO!_

"Collin….I need to tell you something…it's hard to say but I know I can trust you." I stared at the Iris Message looking back at me "Today…for a while I've been having this feeling about someone, a feeling like they really meant something to me. And today I finally meet them…and now I know why. I don't know how to say this…but…..I think I like Apollo!" I blurted out, instantly wishing I didn't. The satyr's face turned grave and he stared at me with shock and seriousness.

"Rose.." He said, his voice quavering "You have no idea what you're saying! You can't be serious, Apollo is a god and you are a mortal. It's like forbidden!"

"But gods have children with mortals all the time! NOT THAT I PLAN TO HAVE CHILDREN WITH HIM OR ANTHING! But I don't see the difference! It's still some sort of relationship!" I retorted back.

"That's different!" he shot back "They are just plain mortals! You are a demi-god! That's on a whole other level! Besides if you think about it, Apollo is technically your uncle!" He shouted nervously. I guess I never really thought about that….but he's my father _Half_-brother, so technically we are barely related…right?

"Collin…I can't help it… there is just something about him I can't describe…but I can't stop thinking about him. I know it's a lost cause and its 'forbidden' and all that, but you don't need to worry…It will probably always be a one sided love anyway." I looked down at my bed sheets letting a blonde curtain fall between the Iris message and me, I didn't want Collin seeing my face at the moment. He looked at me sadly,

"Rose, you know I care about you but you need to let this go. The only place this can get you is in trouble, and trouble with the gods is worse than death!"

"I know…hey, can you not tell anyone about this? Please?" He gave me a tiny smile.

" Of course." He smiled still looking concerned. And with that he waved his hand through the mist and his image disappeared. I was left sitting alone in my motel room to think about what just happened. Maybe I _was_ in way over my head. And with that last thought in my mind, I laid back and fell asleep.

* * *

The very next morning Chiron came around early to wake us up and tell us it was time to go. Since none of us really brought anything it didn't take much time for us to be ready to go back to camp. It was still dark out when we left the motel, but the streets seemed to glow and let off light so we could see. As we headed back to the elevator to take us back down to New York, I could help thinking about what Collin had said to me last night.

Was I really getting myself into that much trouble? _I mean, it's not like anyone knows right? _I thought. I couldn't get over it, I know Collin said I should but I just can't. He was so gentle and warm and funny! And the way he said I was pretty! How can I get over someone that perfect?

As I was fighting myself in my mind, light started to shine upon Mount Olympus. Some of the campers turned to look at the sky but most just kept on walking. I stopped and stared up at the rising sun in front of me, closing my eyes to feel the familiar warmth. I heard Ella telling me to hurry up from somewhere behind me. My eyes fluttered open and just before I turned to go, I swear I saw the sun smiling at me.

By the time we got back to camp it was already afternoon and Chiron said we could have some free time to do whatever we want. Most people went off to go practice their sword fighting or go make weapons or ride horses, but I went straight to the Hermes cabin and collapsed on my bunk. I realized how tired I was on the way home, I barely slept at all last night. I buried my head into my pillow and wanted to just fade away. Why did I like him so much? Just when I thought my life couldn't get any more complicated,

"Rosie!" A woman's voice squealed. I looked up to see my beautiful aunt staring at me with a huge smile on her face.

"Aphrodite?" I said shocked "What are you doing here?" She just kept on smiling.

"Well I came to see you of course! So tell me! Who is it?" she said jumping up and down with excitement. I looked at her with confusion.

"Huh? Who is what?" At this she rolled her eyes (which were currently blue).

"The guy you like! Duh!" she said like I should have known this. My face went red out of embarrassment.

"Ho-How did you find out?" I stammered looking at my feet. Rolling her eyes again she answered me.

"Well I'm kinda the goddess of love, I can sense these things. And honey," she grinned, "You are defiantly in L-O-V-E!" she squealed at the thought, "So, who is it?" _Oh no!_ I thought, _this is bad! _I sat there trembling, remember what Collin said, if anyone finds out I would be in big trouble! I just couldn't tell her, I mean Apollo is her half-brother! I looked at the goddess in front of me and could tell she had no intention of leaving here without an answer. She's the goddess of love, I would have to try and trust her.

"You…You can't tell anyone ok?" I muttered looking her in the eyes, I sighed. "It's…he's kinda…his name…It's your brother…Apollo." I quickly hid my face behind my hands, bracing myself for the wrath of this goddess. But instead I felt skinny arms wrap around me and had the scent of sweet perfume pushed in my face. Aphrodite was giving me a huge hug and squealing so loud I thought the other campers might hear. When she pulled away she looked me straight in the face with a smile of pure delight on her perfect face.

"This is WONDERFUL!" she screeched never losing her gaping grin.

"You're not mad at me?" I asked nervously.

"Mad? Why the Hades would I be mad!? This is forbidden love my dear! Oh so romantic!" She laughed spinning around the cabin. I couldn't believe what she was saying.

"B-But he's a god!" I reminded her "And I'm a demi-god, isn't that like…illegal?" I asked.

"Well maybe she said, but doesn't that make it even better! Besides no one has to know!" she giggled. "Don't you worry you pretty little thing! Your Aunt Aphrodite will take care of everything! Let me help you and you two will be hitting it off in no time!" her smile grew wider, "Just be calm, I have a feeling that you too will be seeing each other very soon!" she said with a wink.

"Wait! What do you mean by that?" I demanded. She turned and waved to me like a princess.

"Just remember dear, love always wins!" Then the goddess was gone, leaving behind flower petals and the slight scent of roses.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast I told Ella to go on down to the stables without me, I just didn't feel up to riding. Instead I went to go do what I always do when I'm stressed, shoot some arrows. I don't know why, but it just helped me think…and not because Apollo's an archer or anything!

As I opened the gate to the archery range, a warm blast of air came shooting out towards me. I stopped to see what had cause the warm air to blow, I mean first it wasn't windy and second, well it was late December, nothing was warm. I looked forward and nearly had a heart attack, standing in front of me was none other than the sun god himself. With his bow in hand he smiled and me, his white teeth reflecting so brightly off the sun it hurt to look at. My heart stopped and I stood there staring at the glowing archer.

"Oh hey Rose!" He said with a grin "Told you we'd meet again!"

~Hey thanks for reading! I really appreciate it and all the reviews! Next chapter is going to be a good one I swear! Oh and tomorrow is my birthday and what i really would like for it is some reviews from you wonderful people! They can be good or bad, just anything to help me improve my story for you guys! Thanks so much!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Author's Note: I want to give a HUGE thank you to thisxloser for helping me with this chapter!

I honestly couldn't have written this chapter without her!

"L-Lord Apollo!" I stammered, I couldn't believe it…what was he doing here?

"Oh please, just call me Apollo." His face lit up and he was grinning from ear to ear. His shinning golden hair was hanging in his face, his sky blue eyes watching me from behind it.

"A-Apollo…what brings you to camp?" I asked stupidly, was that the best I could come up with?

"Well, you I guess." He said smiling even wider now, "Aphrodite told me that there was a camper here who needed some lessons in archery, and she said who better to teach her than me? She said that she would come here in the morning to practice, I have to admit I'm really glad it's you I get to teach." He smiled and I could swear he was blushing. Aphrodite! I thought. She must of sent him here to me, this was her plan all along! I couldn't tell him that though, I guess I'll have to play along.

"Oh yea that's right," I lied "We were talking about this, I remember now." I said, not daring to look him in the eye. He grabbed a sturdy bow and handed it to me.

"Let's start with the basics shall we?" he spoke now inches away from my face. "First shoot a single arrow at the target so I can see where you're at skill wise." He handed me a celestial bronze arrow and stepped back to observe me. It's a good thing I've practiced my archery before because I could not afford to make a fool of myself in front of him. I set up my bow and aimed at the first target. Eyes closed I took a deep breath. Oh please gods don't let me miss! I exhaled and let my arrow fly. Unfortunately I didn't get a bull's eye, but thank gods I was close.

"Not bad" Apollo praised from behind me, "For a child of Hermes you've got the skills girl!" I soaked up his compliment, blushing the whole time.

"Oh th-thankyou" I said completely relieved that I hit the target.

"One thing you have to work on though is your form." He said picking up his solid gold bow and holding it lightly with grace and skill. "When you prep the arrow you need to hold your arms level with your shoulder," he demonstrated, I couldn't help but watch the movement of his muscular arm as he lifted the bow with ease. I guess I'd never realized how built and fit Apollo is. He let an arrow pass his fingers and go straight into the middle of the target with no trouble at all. "And that's pretty much how it's done, you want to try again?" he said now turning to face me.

"Uh, yea sure." I lifted my bow and tried to get in the right position.

"Your form is a little off." He said helpfully. I moved my arm trying to match how I'd seen him shooting but I was struggling. "Here, let me help you." He grinned and stepped behind me. His arms wrapped around my body and he lightly placed his hands on mine. Wherever his body touched mine I felt that same warm feeling I felt the day of the solstice, like his whole body was giving off soft heat. I suddenly turned stiff and was glad he was behind me so he couldn't see me blush. "And you pull back here," he said taking my hand and readying the bow string. I could feel him rest his face gently on my hair. "You're doing great" he muttered, I turned my head to look the archer in the face and nearly yelped when I did. The gods face was mere centimeters from mine, his nose just brushing mine. My eyes widened as well as his, I stood there in his arms staring into his beautiful face which was just as shocked as mine.

"Sorry!" I stuttered, but before I could turn away the god seized my face in his hands. "A-Apollo?" He stood there holding my face carefully, his warm skin caressing my cheeks. In his eyes was a mix of emotions I could only define because I felt the same. Confusion, embarrassment, desire, fear….indecision. He sighed lightly and slowly moved in, his lips drawing nearer with every quickened breath. I guess I had dropped the bow because my hands were now free and balled into fists by my side. My eyes squeezed shut and I didn't dare to open them, I knew what was coming…what was next. His nose now was firmly pressed against my face, our foreheads touching, I could feel his hot breath on my lips. _This is it, _was the only thought in my mind.

"Rose?!" Called a voice. Suddenly the hands on my face were gone, the warmth, the heat, everything…I opened my eyes to see that Apollo was gone too.

I couldn't process what was happening from what just happened. Turning to the entrance of the range I saw standing there my half-sister.

"E-Ella!" I managed to choke out. "What's going on?"

"I came to get you!" she said half smiling "It's time for our sword lessons! Come on let go!" She gestured me towards the door, but I wasn't moving.

"Ella...what did you see? Where did he go?" I questioned, my face like stone. She started to look slightly concerned.

"Um…Rose?" she blinked "Where did who go? When I walked in you were here alone."

* * *

"Ok what's going on?" I looked up from my full plate of brisket to see Ella frowning on the bench beside me. I stared at her dazed for a second then replied,

"Huh?" She rolled her eyes at me.

"You have been acting like this since I got you from the archery field this morning!" she exclaimed sternly "Your barely talking, your always blanking out, and now you're not even eating your favorite food! What wrong?" She looked concerned.

"I guess I'm just not feeling well…" I lied, she looked displeased with my answer but didn't keep pushing.

"Whatever." She sighed and turn back to her plate, I continued to poke at my food lost in thought. _What was going on with me? _I haven't been able to think straight since it happen. _But what was it? What had happened? _He left so suddenly…he just vanished, I mean he can do that cause he's a god and stuff but it just seemed so quick. There one second and gone the next. I remembered his warmth, his hands on my face and his breath on my lips. It was real, It wasn't my imagination, I was sure of it. I had so many questions running through my mind, but the one that bothered me the most was simply…_ Why? _

I was pondering every possibility of why he did what he did. I mean he kissed me…well almost kissed me, but he definitely intended to kiss me! Why? Why? WHY?! Then it hit me and my face turn as red as the paint on the Ares cabin. _He didn't... _I thought, _He couldn't…like me…could he? _ At the thought my chest grew heavy, my heart fluttered and it was had to breath. _Why else would he try to kiss me? _I thought trying to confirm my thought. I wasn't sure how to feel about the idea that the all-powerful sun god might be have a crush on the weak unimportant daughter of Hermes. Should I be happy? Upset? Scared? I felt a little of it all mixed together and started to get dizzy. _I must be mistaken, I mean it's only a thought after all, _I reassured myself silently. I quietly finished up dinner and went to bed, at that moment I wanted nothing more than to be alone.

* * *

Three weeks had passed since the "incident" in the archery range happened. I tried my best to forget about it but with no luck, I just couldn't get him out of my head. I told no one, not even Ella what had happened. I just dodged their questions and attempted to look like nothing was bothering me when they were around. I was finally starting to calm down and feel better about everything, that's when Chiron called me to The Big House, he said he had something "important" to tell me.

I walked up to The Big House, Chiron was standing in front of the porch waiting for me, his beautiful white horse coat gleaming against the newly fallen snow.

"Chiron! What's going on? Is everything okay?" I asked, hoping I wasn't in trouble. He just stood there and smiled.

"Let's discuss this inside" he said, shivering slightly "It getting chilly out here." We made our way into a large room with two sofas facing each other. Chiron gestured for me to sit so I did, he decided he would rather stand, probably because his horse body wouldn't fit on the couch.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" I looked at the camp director intently. He gave me a little half smile.

"I'll get right to the point," he said "I'm sure you have heard that some of the hero's at our camp go on quests occasionally, right?"

"Yea, I know. But what does that have to do with me?" I questioned now getting a little nervous.

"Well usually campers as new as you don't normally go on quests, but in your case you have been specifically requested to complete a quest." He told me with a look of concern/understanding.

"Specifically requested? Who the Hades would request me? What do they want me to do?" I said in disbelief.

"They didn't say what, the just said to come to Mount Olympus and you will get your orders there." He said with a serious face.

"Mount Olympus? Why Mount Olympus?" I said getting worried afraid of what might come next.

"Because the one who requested your help is none other than the goddess Artemis herself."

~Sorry for taking so long to update! This chapter was hard! Thanks for reading and I hope you continue on following this story!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day I was led up to the top of Half-blood hill by Chiron. We were silent until we reached the large pine tree marking the magical border of camp. I smiled slightly at Peleus whose yellow eyes regarded me as I passed him. Down on the road at the bottom of the hill was Argus leaning against the camp van, his eyes wandering in a hundred different directions…literally. Before I started down to the van, Chiron turned to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Good luck Rose, please come back safely." He said with a worried smile.

"Chiron, what exactly is my quest?" I asked, this was my first quest and I had no idea what I was supposed to do. He glanced down at me with soft eyes,

"I honestly do not know, with Artemis it could be anything. But whatever it may be I wish you the best." He smiled "Now go, Argus is waiting." He gestured towards the road.

"Thanks." I grinned up at Chiron and made my way down the hill to the van to start the long car ride to New York City.

The car ride was smooth and quiet, Argus wasn't really one for talking and I wasn't in the mood for small talk anyway. I had so many different things on my mind and every single thought was tugging at my brain painfully. _What am I supposed to do? _I thought to myself, _Will it be dangerous? What does Artemis need from me? And why me of all people? _All these things ran through my head as we pulled up in front of the Empire State Building which now looked much taller since I knew what was actually up above those clouds. I stepped out of the van and waved thanks to Argus who had all his eyes fixed on me as I walked into to building. Sitting at the front desk was a young man who looked a little older than me, he looked up from his newspaper and his brown eyes studied me thoroughly.

"Can I help you?" he asked sounding bored.

"Um…I need to get to the 600th floor please." I said almost unsure. His expression changed to one of slight interest.

"You're one of them, huh?" he mused "What do you need to go up there for?"

"Lady Artemis has a quest for me" I told him getting annoyed at all his questions. "Can I go up?"

"So luna called for you?" he said with a smirk "Fine I'll let you up, but just cause you're cute." With a wink he handed me a key card and sent me to the elevator. I rolled my eyes at his comment and inserted the key in the panel on the wall. The doors closed and I could feel the elevator lifting me up to the home of the gods.

I couldn't stop shaking as I reached the top, last time I came here I had the other campers and Chiron with me, but now I was alone as I stepped out onto the sparkling streets. Even though I've seen it before, Mount Olympus's beauty never ceased to amaze me. At first I stood in a daze realizing I had no idea what where I was supposed to go, Chiron just said Olympus not where in Olympus. Lost, I went up to a nearby satyr who seemed to be very interested in a potted plant that was being sold by a street vendor.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Artemis?" He turned to look at me when I said this. His face turned to the dreamy look I saw Collin make when I told him my quest.

"Oh, she should be in the throne room." he blushed and looked down at his hooves.

"Um…Thanks." I said and left him to his weird goddess day dream. I headed to the familiar extravagant throne room where I had first met my father.

My foot touched the first step of the large marble structure and I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. My stomach was in knots as I walked into the magnificent room with the 12 thrones of the gods and goddess, none of which was occupied at the moment. Standing in the middle of the room was a beautiful young girl who couldn't be any more than twelve years old staring sweetly at me. Her silvery-grey eyes matched her flowing dress perfectly, she held me in her gaze and spoke.

"Welcome young maiden." She smiled at me "I hope your journey went well."

"Lady Artemis," I replied bowing my head awkwardly, "It went fine thank you." She looked pleased with this answer.

"Very good," her face suddenly turned serious. "Then let us get straight to the point shall we? I have summoned you here because I have been told that you are a very suitable demi-god to help me. I'll explain the job I need you to do when that insufferable boy decides to show up." She said with a groan on the last sentence.

"Um…w-what boy?" I asked nervously, and right on que the room filled with light. I was blinded for a moment but quickly regained my sight to see an orb of shimmering gold light flying around to ceiling of the room. I looked over at Artemis to see her opinion on this but she just sighed and rolled her eyes, I could hear her mutter, _always a flashy entrance…show off. _I returned my gaze to the orb which was now circling the solid gold throne next to my father's, it seemed to stop on the seat and then grew larger. A young man appeared where the light was just a second ago, my heart nearly jumped out of my throat. Sitting right in front me was none other than the sun god, Apollo.

* * *

"Hey sis!" He grinned at his twin sister, "So you need _my_ help?" he beamed at the thought. Artemis shuddered,

"It would seem so." She said through gritted teeth, it was apparent Apollo was not her favorite sibling. "Now that you're both here, I-"

"Both?" Apollo interrupted and his eyes fell on me. Noticing me the god gasped quietly and his face turned a deep shade of red, he quickly averted his eyes and was suddenly very interested with a spot on his throne. "H-Hey Rose…" he spoke softly, for the first time ever I saw the sun god without a smug grin or smirk, in fact he looked nervous. Apparently he had not forgotten about that day like I had hoped.

"Hello Apollo." I squeaked timidly staring down at my worn out converse, my face as red as his. Artemis watch this exchange and looked confused.

"You two already know each other?" she questioned. At this we both looked at one another, Apollo spoke.

"We met at the winter solstice, right?" He said directing his question towards me, I nodded looking away again.

"Well that's good, because the two of you will have to be working together for the next week." She said seriously "Even though I hate leaving a beautiful young maiden in the hands of my unreliable brother." Again the god's eyes met mine and we shared a nervous, awkward look.

"What will we be doing?" I asked the goddess thinking of a thousand different responses she could give.

"You two will be given the task of driving the moon across the sky every night for the next week." She said in a voice that dared someone to object, and someone did.

"Huh?" Apollo and I said simultaneously. "But that's your job!" Apollo complained, his sister glared at him.

"Will you let me finish!" she barked at him, he put his hands up in false surrender. "As I was saying, my hunters and I have an important mission we have to complete. I will have to leave for a period of time and I will not be able to attend to my duty of the moon. I have chosen you two in particular because of certain reasons, Apollo of course because he knows how to drive a chariot obviously…and I don't mind forcing him to do things." She let a small smirk pass her lips, "And Rose, I chose you because the moon chariot needs the presence of a woman to fly. Apollo may know how to drive it, but it won't move without you." I stared and her and took in what she said,

"But why me?" I asked "There are so many other girls you could have chosen." She smiled sweetly at me.

"I told you didn't I? I was informed by Aphrodite that you were the ideal girl to carry out this task, and anyone who is recommended by a goddess must be reliable." She informed me. _APHRODITE! _ I wanted to scream! Of course it was her! She probably did this to get Apollo and me closer together. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to furious or thankful. But I did know that this was going to be one heck of a week. This whole time Apollo was quiet until it was his turn to speak.

"So you want Rose and me to drive the moon, as well as the sun, across the sky when you go off to kill some monster?" he asked. Artemis looked at him with an expressionless face.

"Precisely." She responded.

"Kay, just checking." He put his hands in his jean pockets and looked down in deep thought. Artemis looked from her brother to me and spoke,

"It is time for me to take my leave, I trust this job will go smoothly and you will have no trouble. Good luck! Oh, and Apollo don't you dare think about stealing the innocence of this young maiden!" she said sternly looking at her brother. Under normal circumstances Apollo would have made some joke about this, but now all he did was blush.

"Yea ok" he mumbled, looking down towards his throne. With that Artemis turned and dissolved in shower of silver and I was left alone with the sun god. I was standing there staring at the spot where the goddess had just been when Apollo spoke up.

"So…I guess we will be seeing a lot of each other, huh?" He asked shyly look down at me from behind his golden hair. I nodded and returned his gaze,

"Yea, I guess we will." I said, staring into his blue eyes. He started to smile and hopped down from his throne, shrinking to the size of a normal human. When he reached me he ran a large hand through his shaggy hair and looked at the doorway.

"Well," he said "It's starting to get late." He looked at me and grinned "Ready to fly the moon chariot?"

~Hey everyone! Thanks for all your great reviews! I actually have a bit of a funny story for you all. When I started writing this chapter, I was also in the car headed to NYC. (I was in a van too!) Anyway, we arrived at our hotel, which had an amazing view of Madison Square Garden, and once we put our stuff in the room we went for a walk to the Empire State Building. The cool thing is that it was foggy that night and you couldnt see the top (OLYMPUS!) I begged my dad to let me go in the lobby and he gave in, So being the person I am, I walked up to the man at the front desk and with a serious face said this exactly "I need to go to the 600th floor, it's an emergency!" the guy must have been a mortal because he just stared at me and tried to assure me there was no "600th" floor. Anyway, that's my fun little story. Enjoy the chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

We walked down the streets of Olympus side by side not saying a word. Apollo's gaze went silently from his golden watch to the sky and back about a dozen times until he finally spoke up.

"We better get going," he said, not taking his eyes off his Rolex "It's almost time for the moon to come out." He turned and looked at me, our eyes met and instead of looking away he held my gaze. His face turned visibly redder as he held out his hand. I stared at his strong arm in a daze my eyes moving from his forearm to his fingertips. He blushed even harder, "Well come on! Take my hand." He urged, now avoiding eye contact.

"Oh! Sorry" I yelped, my heart quickened at his request and I instantly obeyed. My hand slipped into his and warmth shot up my arm, we both froze hand in hand. At my touch he looked up and studied my face as if he was trying to know what I was thinking.

"D-Don't let go, okay?" he said as he squeezed my hand tighter. All I could manage was a nod before I was engulfed in a blinding light. Everything around me was gold and a warm summer breeze blew gently against my face. I knew that we were traveling quite a distance but we didn't seem to be moving. _So this is how the gods travel, _I thought. I still felt Apollo's warm hand in mine reassuring me he was there. As quick as it happened it was over and I found myself deep in a forest surrounded by trees.

"Alright," Apollo spoke enthusiastically, "It should be around here somewhere" he looked around and decided on a direction. "This way, c'mon!" he shot me a smile and pulled me along through the woods.

I followed closely behind him when we pulled into a clearing in the trees. I stopped and gaped at the majestic scene in front of me. A large silver carriage sat in the middle of the clearing led by two grey elk, the setting sun was licking the horizon behind it.

"Whoa" was all I managed to say. Apollo looked at me and laughed freely, my heart fluttered, he was so cute when he did this. The last bits of sunlight swam in his hair, the gold shimmering in every strand.

"Impressive, huh?" he grinned seeing my expression. "Just wait till you see my ride" he winked and nudged my shoulder. I let out a small laugh which just made him smile bigger. I looked back at the orange sky and furrowed my brow slightly.

"Shouldn't you be driving the sun right now?" I questioned him now returning my gaze to his perfect face, he grinned.

"There is NO way I would drive that thing all day," he laughed "I only have to drive it in the morning to the center of the sky, then the sun kinda goes on auto mode and does the rest itself. It's quite convenient." Smiling he walked forward towards the carriage and I suddenly felt cold. I realized it's because he let go of my hand, I also realized he had been holding it the whole time. My face turned red and I stared at my hand.

"C'mon! It's almost time!" He called from the carriage beckoning me over. As I got closer I realized the intricate detail on the sides of the metal frame. Images of animals and hunters carved expertly, pictures of the moon among them. It looked like something out of a little girl's princess book, elegant, royal, and slightly…romantic. I looked up at Apollo who was holding the reigns of the elk, he hand his hand stretched out to me. "Here let me help you up" he said blushing. I grabbed his hand and he swiftly pulled me up next to him. We were both sitting together on the small bench that as the driver's seat of the carriage. Apollo's gripped tightened around the reigns and the elk stirred.

"So…what now?" I asked leaning back on the bench. Apollo grinned but didn't take his eyes of the horizon.

"Wait for it…" He said slowly as the sun finally disappeared, the sky was finally dark and instantly the most amazing thing happened. I was surrounded by silver light, the carriage was illuminated and glowing splendidly, the dull grey elk were now the same luminescent sliver as the carriage. The images I had seen before now seemed to be dancing and shimmering. All around all us moon drop flowers poked up through the late January snow. The reigns glowed dimly in the sun god hands and he smirked mischievously in my direction. "Hold on tight." He laughed as we sped into the night sky leaving a trail of silver dust behind us. When we were in the air I took in everything, I saw tiny towns in distance, farms and houses with lights in the windows, the ocean below us sparkled in our moonlight. I was in a daze, this was amazing! I turned to Apollo who was casually holding the reigns with one hand, his other down at his side.

"It's so beautiful!" I said as I moved closer to the god. His eyes were soft as he smiled at me. His free hand grabbed mine and he gave a large grin.

"You wanna drive?" he asked, pushing the reigns toward me. I hesitated, I had no idea how to steer this thing. During chariot races at camp I was always the one fighting on the back.

"O-Oh well…I don't really know how" I admitted looking down, a little embarrassed. At this he laughed and gripped my hand tighter, giving me a flirtatious grin.

"Well, then I'll just have to help you." He slid the reigns in my hands and rested his own on top of mine, just like he did with the bow that one morning. He moved in closer to me till we were comfortably squished together in the middle of the small seat. His warm body pressed against mine, making me completely forget that it was January. My stiff arms held the reigns tightly and the carriage started moving side to side slowly. Apollo fingers traced my hands, instantly adjusting my grip. "Loosen up" he said, his hot breath brushing my cheek. His words seemed to control me, I loosened my fingers around the reigns and we flew straight once again. The chariot glided through the night sky elegantly controlled by our gentle fingers.

After a little while of floating in the air the sun god pulled softly back on the reigns and we lurched to a stop, He turned to me and smiled.

"That should be good". He said, "The elk know how to get back on their own so if you would like, we can go now." He offered me his hand.

"Go where exactly?" I asked cautiously, for I was almost certain he didn't mean back to camp. The sun god chuckled and as I set my hand in his, I was once again swallowed up by the warm golden light.

We appeared hand in hand on the doorstep of a castle sized mansion. I had to squint to look at it for, much like the Apollo cabin, its bricks were made of solid gold and emitted a light nearly as bright as the sun itself. I could hear the soft tune of a string instrument playing from somewhere inside. Apollo slipped his hand out of mine and swiftly stepped up to the door. He softly muttered something in ancient Greek and I heard a click from within the door. The sun god turned the doorknob and then grinned at me.

"Welcome to Casa de Apollo" He laughed, And the door swung open.

~Hello Readers! Let me just start by apologizing for how long it took for me to get this chapter in! I have been insanely busy lately and i have not been able to write at all. I'm sorry to make you guys wait but I promise that I will do my best to update quicker next time! Thank you guys for being so great and I hope you continue to read and follow this story. Again Sorry!


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